I was standing right at the stove but I'd knocked the burner on to 'high'. I was lucky in that I didn't lose anything in the purse except for a Shiseido compact (though my library card is a bit warped), but the purse was a total loss and I loved that little workhorse of a purse. I paid something like $2 for it but the basic construction was really sound and it would have lasted me several more years. Also it was highly conducive to being covered with buttons/badges and it was a great conversation starter.